


Candy Letters

by shopfront



Category: Sunshine Cleaning
Genre: Community: fandom_stocking, F/F, Post-Movie, making amends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-03
Updated: 2010-04-03
Packaged: 2017-10-08 16:38:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/77564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shopfront/pseuds/shopfront
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Norah constructs her apology with an epic mail campaign of candy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Candy Letters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dga29](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dga29/gifts).



'What are you going to do now?' are, of course, the first words out of Rose's mouth practically the instant Norah returns home.

"Jeez, Rose! Want to at least give me some time to unpack first? God!" Norah says and swings her bag back over her shoulder to carry to her bed.

"I didn't-" Rose starts, but Norah hears their father shushing her as she leaves the room. Rolling her eyes, she collapses onto the mattress laid out for her, and then yelps in pain when it provides exactly zero cushioning against the hard floor.

"Brilliant, just brilliant" she mutters to herself and yanks off her shoes so she can get comfortable. The first thing to come out of her bag is the candy necklace, which she craddles in her hands.

"You've just travelled across three states. You better be worth it," she whispers to it, and then puts it aside with a sigh. It's the last of many, and her last chance to set things right. If she even has that chance. As she'd travelled, she had kept a careful eye out for unusual looking candy jewellery. Each piece had been carefully wrapped up with a brief postcard: This is an apology from the Grand Canyon. You're the only thing I really miss about home.

But this was the crowning glory. It's a plain, common candy necklace. There's nothing unusual or particularly interesting about it, except that it was the same sort as the one which Lynn had eaten from while it was around Norah's neck. Then there was also the fact that Norah had painstakingly rifled through all the necklaces available to find the one with the most white pieces on it. Then she'd bought the whole lot when none of them looked much different to each other, cut the strings, and then sorted out all the white candy pieces and strung them up into one long pure white candy necklace.

"You're also incredibly cheesy," Norah whispers to the necklace, before she carefully packs it away again. "But right now I need a heavy dose of cheese on my side."

 

*** * * * ***

 

When Norah arrives at Lynn's place, she'd miscalculated how long it would take Lynn to open the door, so she was still fumbling in her bag for the white necklace when it opened. She hadn't even been looking up either, so by the time she opened her mouth to explain, Lynn was already slamming it.

"Dammit," she hissed, and pulled the necklace out before pounding on the door. "Just give me one minute, Lynn. Just one! Then if you still want me to go, I will, and I won't bother you ever again. Please, Lynn."

There's total silence from the otherside, and after bouncing anxiously on the balls of her feet for a few minutes, Norah sighs sadly and leans forward to rest against the door.

"Just sixty seconds," she says into the wood of the door, trying again only half-heartedly and at half the volume. "I miss you."

There's a sharp, frustrated sigh from inside, and it makes Norah stand up straight and stare at the door like it was the one that sighed. Lynn hadn't walked away from the door, she thought. That had to be a good sign, right? She's still busy debating with herself about whether or not it's a positive - does she miss you too, or is she just worried you're becoming a violent stalker? - when the door flies open.

"Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven-" Lynn says, one hand on the door handle and the other clenched against her hip.

"Alright, alright," Norah says in a fluster, and then thrusts the white necklace at her. "All I wanted to say is that I've been thinking of you, and thinking about how wrong I was to do what I did, and whether there's anything I can do to ever prove to you that you can trust me. But I guess road trips aren't always the holy grail of answers, because I still don't know how to prove that, and I figure you're the only one who can answer that anyway, so. Um, did you get my packages?" Norah says, rushing through most of what she'd planned to say without taking another breath, and then waving the necklace at Lynn again.

"Er, yes. Yes, I did," Lynn answers and reaches out slowly to take the necklace, like she was shocked - or reluctant to take it, Norah thought, and then had to fight not to let her face fall - from her. Once she had her hands free, Norah planted them in pockets, shrugged her shoulders and fidgeted.

"I really hope they didn't bother you. I didn't want to like, freak you out or anything like the last time we… talked-"

"You mean, argued?" Lynn cut in, her expression gently unimpressed.

"Right, argued. About how I'm an idiot, because I'm an idiot. Anyway, I hope it was okay. I don't want to pressure you or anything, I just wanted to show you that I'm still thinking of you, and I miss you."

Lynn nods slowly. "Yes, I did gather that much from the postcards," she said wryly.

'Mission failed, abort, abort,' screams Norah's brain, and she swallows hard to try and stem her tears.

"Right. Well. You probably still don't want anything to do with me, but I just had to try. But if you're still completely uninterested in even remembering I exist, then I can respect that. You won't… you won't have to see me again," Norah said and starts turning away only to falter for a second. "I really am sorry," she finishes, speaking to the wall beside Lynn, and then she turns to leave.

She gets three steps away before Lynn calls her name, and then she's yanked around by her collar and pulled into the longest, the most awkward, the sloppiest, and the most meaningful kiss that Norah has ever experienced. Her head is spinning, and she's only grounded by Lynn's hands on her shoulders when they part, but she can taste Lynn on her lips and she can something a little more positive than outright loathing in Lynn's eyes, so things are improving.

"I still can't trust you," Lynn cautions.

"Understandable," Norah says with a nod, and tries to unobtrusively settle her hands on Lynn's hips without upsetting any delicate balances.

"It's going to take a long, long time before we can get fully past this," Lynn continues, narrowing her eyes and scrutinising Norah.

"That's okay. Considering I thought we'd never get past it, my expectations are pretty low on that front."

Then Lynn's eyes softed a fraction. "I miss you too, and I... think you demonstrated some degree of good priorities with your little mail campaign."

"Please, please tell me the necklace sealed the deal," Norah jokes cautiously, and then grimaces when Lynn's eyebrows shoot up disapprovingly. "I just meant that that thing was a pain in the arse to restring," she hurries to explain, and then smiles when Lynn let's out a bubbly little laugh.

"It was impressive. But first, are we clear?"

"Absolutely. We both want and miss each other, but you're going to surround me with lots and lots of lines I can't cross for the foreseeable future until I make it up to you for being such a complete fuck up," Norah says with a sharp nod, and then smiles hopefully. Lynn just shakes her head with a smile, so Norah leans in a little, and then pauses, and then presses a gentle, chaste kiss on Lynn's lips when she doesn't pull away. And then, surprisingly, everything is right in Norah's world again.


End file.
